🦄 Unicorner Startup of the Week:

Intramotev

✍️ Notes from the Editors

When it comes to modernizing vehicles, self-driving cars dominate the conversation. Sometimes, autonomous trucks get a spotlight. Today, we’re highlighting yet another but overlooked vehicle—trains—with Intramotev.

Buckle up, and enjoy!

- Ethan and Arek 🦄

Self-propelled battery-electric railcars

Intramotev aims to facilitate the transportation of goods more efficiently, time- and energy-wise. Intramotev is electrifying freight by attaching battery packs to existing train cars and modernizing it by creating trains that can independently travel point to point. Intramotev intends to utilize what freight rail does right while bringing in cutting-edge technology to bring trains to a new level.

🔗 Check it out: intramotev.com

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💰 Business Model

Intramotev has an enterprise-focused business model, both selling and leasing equipment to train companies, with a software subscription to supplement its products.

📈 Traction and Fundraising

• Raised over $20 million, including a recent Series A, from Flybridge, Alpaca VC, Advantage Capital, and Cathcart Rail

• World’s first independently driven battery-electric railcar in revenue service in Michigan

• Awarded grant from Department of Energy, $1.2 million contract

👫 Founders

• Timothy Luchini, CEO: Previously Engineering Manager @ Boeing, Mechanical Engineering PhD @ Michigan State University, Mechanical Engineering MS @ The University of Toledo, Mechanical Engineering BS @ South Dakota Mines

• Alex Peiffer, COO: Previously Brand Manager @ Nestle, Principal Associate @ Capital One, U.S. Air Force Veteran, MBA @ University of Southern California, Marketing & Finance BSBA @ The Ohio State University 

• Corey Vasel, CTO: Previously Materials, Process, & Physics Engineer @ Boeing, Aerospace & Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering @ Missouri University of Science and Technology

💼 Opportunities

• Business Development / Commercial Manager - Steel Mills and Plant Railroads

• Business Development Manager - Railroads

• EV Powertrain Engineer at Intramotev

• General Intramotev Job Requisition

• Lead Electrical Engineer

• Lead Hardware Architect Engineer

• Manager - Finance, FP&A

• Project Engineer - Rail and Mining

• Senior Application Software Engineer

• Senior Perception / Robotics Software Engineer

• Senior Systems Engineer

• Thermal Management Engineer

🔮 Our Analysis

There has been increased attention on the rail industry over the last couple of years. On one hand, several passenger systems have had increased issues, while on the other, there has been a proliferation of new passenger systems developing, such as Brightline. While the U.S. has some of the most extensive rail systems in the world, around 84% of the system is used for freight. 

At the same time, most trains consist of 100+ cars and are not efficient enough to have smaller cars go to lower-demand cities. Due to this, trucking and air cargo make up around 72% of all freight in the U.S. There is a demand for more efficient methods of transportation, environmentally and financially. While internationally, naval is best, inland transportation is best done by train.

This is where Intramotev steps in. While other companies are trying to revolutionize the rail industry, Intromotev wants to evolve the system instead. While rail is not known for innovation, Intramotev believes more should be done to capture market demands, and the way of achieving this involves supplementing and developing the current infrastructure around what it does well. While current systems are carbon fuel-based, Intromotev wants to electrify the rail system, attaching power packs independently to different rail cars and introducing electric locomotive replacements to other rail operators. 

Intramotev has two products, TugVolt and ReVolt. TugVolt is its main locomotive replacement, which is retrofitted to old train cars. ReVolt is completely electrifying traditional freight cars, allowing them to reduce energy consumption. With private use cases already in action, namely in Michigan, it has seen significant success and is expanding rapidly.

One obstacle facing Intramotev is the legal landscape. It is currently operating on private lines because there are significant regulatory hurdles to its technology. However, it has strong support within the industry, having backing from industry insiders and local government grants. As Intramotev’s experienced team builds toward the future, it can hit the ground running while regulation changes.

📚 Further reading

• Intramotev shows off autonomous, battery-electric stack car (with video) [Trains]

• Comparing the Costs of Rail Shipping vs Truck [RSI Logistics]

• Battery-electric railcar retrofits deployed at Carmeuse's calcium mine in Michigan [Mining.com]

• Intramotev raised $14M for electric autonomous railcars [Axios]

• How the U.S. Rail System Works [Council on Foreign Relations]

Written by Kanay Jay Shah

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